JP2008179087A - Platen retaining mechanism and recording unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a versatile platen retaining mechanism which can be used in common in any recorders of a configuration with a platen not exposed to the exterior of a casing and a configuration with a platen exposed to the exterior of a casing. <P>SOLUTION: A shaft part 2a of a platen roller 2 is inserted to be movable in an oval recess 5a of a platen frame 5. A release arm 9 with an engagement part 9b to the shaft part 2a is set to be able to swing and is urged by a spring member 10. A switch 11 has an attachable/detachable section 11a to the release arm 9. When a thermal head 1 is moved against the spring force of a spring member 4, the spring member 10 swings the release arm 9 following the thermal head 1, moving the shaft part 2a in the recess 5a. When the switch 11 detects the movement of the release arm 9, recording is judged to be impossible as the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2 are separated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a platen holding mechanism used at a position in contact with a head and a recording unit including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a recording apparatus that has a recording head and a roller-like platen (platen roller) in contact with the recording head, and the recording head performs recording on a recording medium (sheet material) conveyed by the platen roller. . Generally, the recording head and the platen roller are fixed in contact with each other. During recording, a recording medium is inserted between the recording head and the platen roller, and recording is performed by the recording head while the recording medium is conveyed by rotation of the platen roller. To do. In such a recording apparatus, when a recording medium is inserted and set between the recording head and the platen roller, or when a recording medium jam (so-called paper jam) occurs between the recording head and the platen roller, When working to eliminate this, or to replace or maintain the print head and / or platen roller, the operation is extremely difficult if the print head and the platen roller are in contact with each other inside the housing. is there. Therefore, there is a configuration in which the platen roller and the recording head are separated from each other, and one of them is exposed to the outside of the housing.

  In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the recording head arranged in the housing can swing away from the platen roller. The platen roller hardly moves in the housing.

  On the other hand, the recording head has a plurality of recording elements (for example, heating elements), so as not to impair the reliability of electrical connection to which recording signals for selectively driving each recording element are input. It is considered preferable to be substantially fixed in the housing. Accordingly, there is a configuration in which the platen roller is pulled away from the recording head and pulled out to the outside while the recording head is substantially fixed in the housing. For example, there is a configuration in which positioning is performed by providing a notch portion that is notched in a slit shape on the frame and holding the shaft portion (held portion) of the platen roller in the notch portion. In this case, the opening to the outside of the notch becomes the entrance / exit of the platen roller. While this configuration has the advantage that the platen roller is detachable, the platen roller does not escape from the notch when it is not intended, and the platen roller is applied to the recording head at a predetermined pressure during recording. A mechanism for firmly holding in a predetermined holding position so as to contact is required.

As a mechanism for preventing the platen roller from escaping from the notch when it is not intended, a structure in which the shaft portion of the platen roller is held in the notch by a member surrounding from the periphery, that is, an opening portion of the notch (platen There is a configuration in which at least a part of the entrance / exit portion of the roller is blocked to prevent the shaft portion of the platen roller from escaping from the notch portion. When the recording member is the only member that closes the opening of the notch (Patent Document 2), or when a dedicated lock arm for holding the shaft portion of the platen roller is used in addition to the recording head (Patent Document) 3). In such a configuration, by moving a member (recording head or lock arm) surrounding the shaft portion of the platen roller, the opening portion of the notch portion is opened, and the platen roller can be attached and detached.
JP-A-10-119326 JP-T 8-505576 JP 2000-318260 A

  In the configurations described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the platen frame can be moved to expose the platen roller to the outside of the casing while the recording head is substantially fixed in the casing. Therefore, there is an advantage that operations such as setting of the recording medium, elimination of jamming of the recording medium, replacement of the recording head and / or platen roller, and maintenance can be easily performed. However, complication of the configuration is inevitable. In order to expose a part of the platen roller and the platen frame to the outside, a door part that can be opened and closed is provided in a case located outside the case, and the platen frame is moved while the door part is opened. It must be configured to move outside. That is, it is necessary to provide a door corresponding to the platen frame in the case of the recording apparatus that accommodates the recording unit including such a platen holding mechanism. Must be done each time.

  On the other hand, in order to simplify the configuration of the recording apparatus and reduce the cost by simplifying the design and manufacture of the housing, a configuration in which the platen roller is not exposed to the outside of the housing is employed, as in Patent Document 1. There are still things to be done.

  In other words, at present, priority is given to the simplification and cost reduction of the configuration, the printing apparatus in which the platen roller is not exposed to the outside of the housing, and the ease of work such as maintenance, giving priority to the platen roller and the platen. A recording apparatus having a configuration in which a part of the frame is exposed to the outside of the housing is mixed. The recording unit accommodated in the former recording apparatus and the recording unit accommodated in the latter recording apparatus are designed completely differently. In the recording unit accommodated in the former recording apparatus, it is detected whether the recording is possible by mainly detecting the position of the recording head, and the recording unit accommodated in the latter recording apparatus. In the unit, whether or not recording is possible is detected mainly by detecting the position of the platen roller.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to be used in common for both a recording apparatus having a configuration in which the platen is not exposed to the outside of the casing and a recording apparatus having a configuration in which a part of the platen and the platen frame are exposed to the outside of the casing. It is an object to provide a general-purpose platen holding mechanism and a recording unit including the same.

  The platen holding mechanism of the present invention includes a head that processes a sheet material, a platen that faces the head while sandwiching the sheet material when the sheet material is processed by the head, and a held portion of the platen. A platen frame having a slot-like recess inserted and held movably inside, a release arm that engages with the platen and moves together with the platen, and a drive member that moves the release arm as the head moves And a position detection switch for detecting movement of the platen or release arm.

  According to this configuration, the platen and a part of the platen frame can be used in a recording apparatus configured to be exposed to the outside of the casing, and the platen and the platen frame can be used in a recording apparatus configured not to be exposed to the outside of the casing. You can also. In any case, the movement of the platen or the release arm can be detected by the position detection switch, and it can be used as a material for determining whether or not the recording is possible. In the case of a recording apparatus configured such that the platen and the platen frame are not exposed to the outside of the housing, the platen frame hardly moves, but the held portion of the platen can move within the elongated hole-shaped recess. Therefore, the platen and the release arm can move within a range in which the held portion can move into the recess, and the movement can be detected by the position detection switch.

  Conventionally, when the platen frame is not movable, the platen is also not movable, and there is no movable member such as a release arm. Therefore, such position detection is impossible and recording is possible. In order to determine whether or not it is in a state, a switch for position detection must be provided on the head side. As a result, there is a drawback that the space efficiency is deteriorated. Also, if the recording unit provided with the position detection switch on the head side is used for a recording apparatus in which the platen frame is moved (exposed outside the housing), the head is Since it hardly moves, the position detection switch provided on the head side has little meaning. In order to determine whether or not recording is possible, a position detection switch must be provided on the platen frame side. That is, in order to determine whether or not the recording is possible (determining whether or not the platen and the head are in an appropriate position), the platen frame cannot be moved (not exposed to the outside). The recording apparatus requires a position detection switch on the head side, and the recording apparatus configured to move the platen frame (exposed outside the housing) requires a position detection switch on the platen frame side. Therefore, a general-purpose recording unit that can be used for both types of recording apparatuses cannot be produced unless two or more switches are provided.

  On the other hand, in the configuration of the present invention, since the switch for detecting the movement of the platen or the release arm is provided on the platen frame side, naturally the recording of the configuration in which the platen frame moves (exposes outside the casing). Can be used in the device. In addition, the platen holding portion can move within the slot-shaped recess provided in the platen frame, and the platen and release arm can also move within the movable range, so the platen frame cannot move ( Even in a recording apparatus configured not to be exposed to the outside, it is possible to know the relative positional relationship between the head and the platen with a switch on the platen frame side, and it is not necessary to provide a switch on the head side. Thus, the recording unit of the present invention has versatility that can be used in both types of recording apparatuses.

  The drive member is disposed between the head and the release arm to apply an urging force to the release arm, and when the pressing force applied from the head to the release arm via the platen is released, the urging force causes the release arm and the release arm to move to the release arm. It may be a biasing means that moves the held portion of the platen to be engaged.

  The drive member may be a connecting member that is disposed between the head and the release arm and moves the release arm in conjunction with the movement of the head.

  The recording unit used in the recording apparatus of the present invention includes the platen holding mechanism having any one of the above-described configurations, and the head is a recording head for recording on a sheet material.

  According to the present invention, the platen and a part of the platen frame can be used for a recording apparatus in which a part of the platen and the platen frame are exposed to the outside of the casing, or a recording apparatus in which the platen and the platen frame are not exposed to the outside of the casing. A realistic recording unit can be realized. In such a recording unit, the relative positional relationship between the head and the platen can be detected in both types of recording apparatuses by only the position detection switch that detects the movement of the platen or the release arm.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 show the main part of a recording apparatus in which a recording unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is accommodated. This recording apparatus has a thermal head 1 that is an example of a recording head that performs recording on the recording medium (sheet material) S shown in FIG. 2 in a recordable state, and a roller-shaped platen that conveys the recording medium S ( Platen rollers 2) are arranged in contact with each other. Although not shown, the thermal head 1 is provided with a large number of heating elements and an electrical connection mechanism for transmitting a drive signal to selectively drive each heating element. Further, between the thermal head 1 and the frame 3, a spring member 4 is disposed as a first urging unit that urges the thermal head 1 so as to be in pressure contact with the platen roller 2. The platen roller 2 has a shaft portion 2a and an outer peripheral portion 2b made of an elastic body. The thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2 constitute a recording unit.

  The thermal head 1 is attached to the frame 3 so as to be movable only by a slight displacement (for example, several mm) within a range of elastic deformation of the spring member 4, for example. The platen roller 2 is rotatably attached to the platen frame 5. The platen frame 5 is attached to the frame 3 so as to be movable (for example, swingable). A gear group 6 for transmitting the rotational driving force from the motor (driving means) 12 to the platen roller 2 is disposed on the side of the frame 3.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the frame 3 is formed with a cutout portion 7 having a shape cutout outward from a predetermined holding position where the platen roller 2 should be held during recording. A claw 8 that protrudes inward is formed in the vicinity of the opening of the notch 7. With this claw portion 8, the escape direction from the holding position to the opening portion in the notch portion 7 is the direction of the arrow A (exactly, the direction within a slight angle range including the direction of the arrow A. The direction of arrow A). Naturally, the approach direction into the notch 7 is limited to the direction opposite to the arrow A direction.

  As described above, the platen roller 2 is rotatably held by the platen frame 5. Specifically, the shaft portion 2 a of the platen roller 2 is inserted and held in a slit-like recess 5 a provided in the platen frame 5. The shaft portion 2a is movable within the slit-shaped (long hole-shaped) concave portion 5a, and is held so as not to escape from the concave portion 5a unless an external force is applied. Thus, the shaft portion 2a functions as a held portion of the platen roller 2. The platen frame 5 is attached to the frame 3 so as to be movable.

  A release arm 9 that can swing about a swing shaft 9a is attached to the frame 3. The release arm 9 has an engaging portion 9 b that engages with the shaft portion 2 a of the platen roller 2. Further, between the release arm 9 and the thermal head 1, a spring member 10 as a second urging means is disposed. This spring member 10 is a drive member of the present invention.

  A switch 11 for position detection is fixed to the frame 3. The switch 11 is switched on and off when the section 11a is in contact with the release arm 9 and when it is not in contact with the release arm 9.

  When the sheet material S, which is a heat-sensitive recording medium, is supplied in the assembled state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the platen roller 2 driven from the motor 12 via the gear group 6 is configured. The sheet material S is conveyed by the rotation. At this time, since the thermal head 1 is biased toward the platen roller 2 by the spring member 4, the sheet material S is sandwiched between the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2. Then, a drive signal is transmitted from the electrical connection mechanism (not shown) to the heating element of the thermal head 1, the thermal head 1 is driven, and desired recording is performed on the sheet material S.

  In this recording apparatus, the shaft portion 2 a of the platen roller 2 is located in the slit-like recess 5 a of the platen frame 5 and in the notch portion 7 of the frame 3. When the spring member 4 applies a pressing force to the platen roller 2 via the thermal head 1, the shaft portion 2a is pressed and held at the holding position shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). The direction in which the shaft portion 2a can escape from the notch portion 7 is generally restricted by the claw portion 8 only in the direction of the arrow A. Then, at least a part of the pressing force (biasing force) applied by the spring member 4 to the platen roller 2 via the thermal head 1 acts from the opposite side in the arrow A direction. Therefore, the platen roller 2 and its shaft portion 2a are pressed against the holding position shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B by the urging force of the spring member 4, and do not leave the holding position. In this state, the section 11a of the switch 11 is in contact with the release arm, and it can be detected that the platen roller 2 is in the holding position.

  At the time of non-recording, when the recording medium is inserted and set between the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2 or when the recording medium is jammed between the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2 (so-called paper jam). When the work for solving the problem, the replacement of the thermal head 1 and / or the platen roller 2 and the maintenance work are performed, the platen roller 2 is separated from the thermal head 1 and exposed to the outside. In this case, in this embodiment, first, a lever or the like (not shown) is operated to pull the thermal head 1 away from the platen roller 2 against the urging force of the spring member 4 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B). . At this time, actually, the release arm 9 connected to the thermal head 1 via the spring member 10 moves simultaneously with the movement of the thermal head 1. That is, actually, the state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B does not occur, and as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the thermal head 1, the spring member 10, and the release arm 9 Move together. At this time, the engaging portion 9b of the release arm 9 engages with the shaft portion 2a of the platen roller 2 and moves together. Thereby, the platen roller 2 moves away from the holding position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the shaft portion 2 a moves to the vicinity of the opening portion of the notch portion 7. At this position, a part of the shaft portion 2 a is located outside the claw portion 8 and can escape from the restriction by the claw portion 8. Therefore, the platen frame 5 is moved with respect to the frame 3 so that the shaft portion 2a of the platen roller 2 is completely escaped from the cutout portion 7 of the frame 3 as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). In the state shown in FIGS. 5 to 6, the segment 11a of the switch 11 is not in contact with the release arm, and it can be detected that the platen roller 2 is not in the holding position, that is, in a state where recording is not possible.

  As described above, FIGS. 4A and 4B show a state that is hardly possible in the present embodiment. However, the reference used for explaining the movement of the thermal head 1 is used. FIG.

  Thereafter, operations such as setting of the recording medium, processing for eliminating jamming, replacement of the thermal head 1 and / or the platen roller 2 and maintenance are performed. If necessary, the platen roller 2 may be escaped from the slit-shaped recess 5a of the platen frame 5. However, the configuration and method for allowing the platen roller 2 to escape from the concave portion 5a of the platen frame 5 are not characteristic portions of the present invention, and various conventionally known means can be adopted, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  When the platen roller 2 is inserted into the holding position of the notch 7 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 from the state where the platen roller 2 is outside the notch 7, the opening of the notch is opened. The platen roller 2 may be pushed in such that the shaft portion 2a is placed on the portion. That is, when the platen roller 2 is pushed in, the thermal head 1 is pushed against the platen roller 2 and slightly moves against the urging force of the spring member 4, whereby the platen roller 2 is inserted into the notch. . Then, the thermal head 1 is restored by the urging force of the spring member 4, presses the platen roller 2, and presses and fixes the shaft portion 2a to the holding position. Since this fixing is performed against the urging force of the spring member 10, the urging force of the spring member 4 should be greater than the urging force of the spring member 10 at least with respect to the component force in the entry and exit directions of the shaft portion 2 a. I must.

  According to the configuration described above, the platen roller 2 is moved by the urging force of the spring member 10 as long as the thermal head 1 is slightly separated (about several millimeters) from the platen roller 2 by an operation of a lever (not shown). 2a escapes from the notch, and the platen roller 2 can be brought out. At this time, it is not necessary for the operator to directly apply a force for moving the platen roller 2.

  In this embodiment, the position detection switch 11 is used to detect whether or not the recording is possible. 3B, the release arm 9 resists the biasing force of the spring member 10 by the biasing force (pressing force) applied from the spring member 4 via the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2 as shown in FIG. The section 11a is in contact with the release arm 9 while being pressed. At this time, it can be seen that the outer peripheral portion 2b of the platen roller 2 is in contact with the thermal head 1 and is in a recordable state.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the thermal head 1 is moved, the urging force (pressing force) transmitted from the spring member 4 to the platen roller 2 is released. The urging force of the release arm 9 moves so as to convey the shaft portion 2a of the platen roller 2 engaged with the engaging portion 9b to the opening portion side of the notch portion 7. Due to the movement, the section 11 a does not come into contact with the release arm 9. At this time, it can be seen that the outer peripheral portion 2b of the platen roller 2 is not in contact with the thermal head 1 and is in an unrecordable state.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the switch 11 having the section 11a that contacts the release arm 9 enables the recording (the outer peripheral portion 2b of the platen roller 2 is in contact with the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2 is in contact with the thermal head 1). It is possible to detect whether or not the state is in a position where the conveying force can be transmitted. The switch 11 can be disposed at a relatively free position on the platen frame 5 side (left side of the drawing), not on the thermal head 1 side (right side of the drawing). Therefore, the space efficiency of this recording unit is good. Instead of the configuration in which the section 11a is in contact with or separated from the release arm 9, a configuration in which the platen roller 2 itself is in contact with or separated from the release arm 9 may be employed.

  The above description is a configuration in which a part of the platen frame 5 can be exposed to the outside of the housing of the recording apparatus as shown in FIG. 6. Although not shown, the platen frame 5 corresponds to the movement of the platen frame 5 in the housing. The present invention relates to a case where a door that can be opened and closed is provided.

  Even when a part of the platen frame 5 is not exposed to the outside of the casing of the recording apparatus, that is, when the door is not provided in the casing, the recording unit itself of the present embodiment is the same as described above. Therefore, the states shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 are exactly the same. And since the door part does not exist in a housing | casing and the movement of the platen frame 5 is controlled, the state shown in FIG. 6 cannot be taken. In short, a part of the platen frame 5 is not exposed to the outside of the casing of the recording apparatus, that is, the configuration in which the door is not provided on the casing has a part of the platen frame 5 outside the casing of the recording apparatus. Compared to the exposed configuration, that is, the case where the door is provided in the housing, the rest is exactly the same except that the state shown in FIG. 6 is not taken. In other words, the recording unit of the present embodiment can be used for a recording apparatus of any configuration for general purposes.

  In particular, in the conventional configuration in which the platen frame 5 does not move, the recording is possible (the outer peripheral portion 2b of the platen roller 2 is in contact with the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2 is in a position where the conveying force can be transmitted. The switch 11 for detecting whether or not it is in a certain state) must be arranged so as to be in contact with and away from the thermal head 1 and detect the movement of the thermal head 1. Therefore, a space for the switch 11 must be secured on the thermal head 1 side (right side of the drawing), and the space efficiency is poor. On the other hand, in this embodiment, even if the platen frame 5 does not move, the platen roller 2 can move in the long hole-shaped recess 5a, and the release arm 9 moves with the platen roller 2. It is configured to do. Accordingly, by detecting the movement of the release arm 9 or the platen roller 2, it is possible to detect whether or not the recording is possible. As a result, the switch 11 is relatively free on the platen frame 5 side (left side in the drawing). Can be arranged at any position, and space efficiency can be increased.

  When the platen roller 2 is moved or removed, the thermal head 1 may be returned to the position shown in FIG. 3 by the spring force of the spring member 4. In this case, the thermal head 1 is in a predetermined position, but is not in contact with the platen roller 2 and is in a recording impossible state. Even in such a case, since the switch 11 of the present embodiment is configured to detect the movement of the release arm 9 or the platen roller 2, it can accurately determine that recording is not possible. Of course, when the thermal head 1 is returned to the predetermined position and the platen roller 2 is also returned to the predetermined position, such a non-recordable state does not occur.

  In the embodiment described above, the spring member 4 is disposed between the thermal head 1 and the frame 3 as the first urging member. The urging direction of the spring member 4 is such that a pressing force is applied to the platen roller 2 via the thermal head 1 to press the shaft portion 2a of the platen roller 2 against the holding position in the notch portion 7. It is preferable to arrange so as to be. At least, the urging force of the spring member 4 needs to have a component force directed in such a direction.

  Further, a spring member 10 is disposed between the release arm 9 and the thermal head 1 as a second urging member. The spring member 10 has an urging direction in which the urging force applied to the platen roller 2 from the spring member 4 via the thermal head 1 is released, and when the thermal head 1 is pulled away from the platen roller 2, the release arm 9 is moved. It is preferable that the platen roller 2 is arranged so that the pressing force is applied to the platen roller 2 to move the shaft portion 2a of the platen roller 2 in the direction of escaping from the notch portion 7. At least, the urging force of the spring member 10 needs to have a component force directed in such a direction. As a result, the release arm 9 applies a pressing force in the direction in which the shaft portion 2a escapes from the notch portion 7 to the platen roller 2 in accordance with the movement against the urging force of the spring member 4 of the thermal head 1. Can be added.

  However, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the spring member 10 may be disposed between the release arm 9 and the frame 3 so as to have a biasing direction in the same direction as described above. In this case, the spring member 10 is a compression spring. In FIG. 7, the portion of the frame 3 that fixes the spring member 10 is not shown.

  Further, instead of the spring member 10, a connecting member that connects the thermal head 1 and the release arm 9 can be used. In that case, although the urging force cannot be obtained, the release arm 9 can be moved following the movement of the thermal head 1 away from the platen roller 2, and the shaft portion 2a engaged with the engaging portion 9b is notched. 7 can be moved to the opening portion side. In this configuration, no urging force (spring force) is required, and the state shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) can be obtained.

  Instead of the platen roller 2, a platen that is not in the form of a roller can be used. In that case, the to-be-held part accommodated in the notch part 7 can be made into a protrusion of not only a shaft shape but also any shape.

  The head is not limited to a recording head such as a thermal head, and may be a thermal activation head.

(A) is a top view which shows the principal part of the recording apparatus containing the platen holding mechanism of this invention, (b) is the front view, (c) is the side view. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. (A) is the side view which shows the recordable state of the platen holding mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, (b) is the side view which deleted a part of the flame | frame. (A) is the side view which shows the state which moved the head of the platen holding | maintenance mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, (b) is the side view which deleted a part of the flame | frame. (A) is the side view which shows the state which the release arm of the platen holding mechanism of the recording device shown in FIG. 1 moved, (b) is the side view which deleted a part of the flame | frame. (A) is a side view showing a platen removal state of the platen holding mechanism of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and (b) is a side view in which a part of the frame is deleted. (A) is the side view which shows the recordable state of the platen holding mechanism of the modification of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, (b) is the side view which deleted a part of the flame | frame.

Explanation of symbols

1 Thermal head (head)
2 Platen roller (platen)
2a Shaft (held part)
2b Outer peripheral part 3 Frame 4 Spring member (first urging means)
5 Platen frame 5a Recess 6 Gear group 7 Notch portion 8 Claw portion 9 Release arm 9a Oscillating shaft 9b Engaging portion 10 Spring member (second urging means)
11 Switch 11a Section 12 Motor (drive means)
S Recording medium (sheet material)

Claims (4)

A head for processing the sheet material;
A platen that faces the head across the sheet material during the processing of the sheet material by the head and supports the sheet material;
A platen frame having a slot-like concave portion that is inserted and held movably inside the platen held portion;
A release arm that engages the platen and is movable with the platen;
A drive member that moves the release arm as the head moves;
A switch for position detection for detecting movement of the platen or the release arm;
A platen holding mechanism.   The drive member is disposed between the head and the release arm, applies a biasing force to the release arm, and releases the pressing force applied to the release arm from the head via the platen. The platen holding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the platen holding mechanism is an urging unit that moves the release arm and a held portion of the platen engaged with the release arm by a force.   The platen holding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the driving member is a connecting member that is disposed between the head and the release arm and moves the release arm in conjunction with the movement of the head.   A recording unit including the platen holding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the head is a recording head that performs recording on the sheet material, and is used while being accommodated in a recording apparatus.

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